new changes for Sat

[older saint]

OK so we now have Billings, out and Ryder not back to add to Howard and Clark not available.

OUT: Howard, Clark, Billings, Hunter, Long

IN: Joyce, Coffield, Sinclair, Sharman, McKenzie

Joyce Sandy form been ok and really we need to know if he or Clav can be a viable back up . They may go Frawley due to Buddy though

Go with just Marshall as the ruck ala Goldstein. Hunter gives us nothing outside of ruck and not much as ruck anyway. If we need to give Marahsall 5 min break put a McKenzie in at the bounce, he has a leap and not like Sydney have physical rucks like a Mumford or Nank who could hurt someone.

Got a feeling Buddy could kick a bag .

[Wayne42]

I think Hunter will stay in, Ratts said Paul is improving.

[skeptic]

I don’t reckon you can drop Long at this point

And surely you have to play Clav ahead of Joyce… Oscar plays more key position and taller whereas Joyce for his size plays shorter and third man up.

Don’t get me wrong… neither are ideal choices not Joyce is more like a Highmore type in terms of opponent. He’ll get destroyed as a key back

[Sanctorum]

It will be interesting to see what the selectors do in deciding on the line-up against Sydney on Saturday night, considering that St Kilda are not a real chance to make the top 8 and the Swans are in great form - try and minimise the margin by playing their best 22 or use the remaining games to give the young players a chance to strut their stuff.

Currently there are only 4 young players that didn't play last week that are available to play, and I hope they all get named: Allison, Bytel, Clavarino, and Coffield. If Max Heath was available (I don't think he is) I'd select him for Hunter's spot in the ruck, may as well throw him in at the deep end!

I have omitted the Irishman Joyce as he will be 25 next year, has had plenty of opportunities since he was recruited in 2016 and only managed to play 8 games so I doubt if he will be part of the future. For that reason I'd bring Chips Frawley in to nullify Buddy and avoid a massacre.

[bangaulegend]

How the f--- does Kent stay & Long go . I know Long hasn't set the world on fire in the last few games but Kent has been terrible IMO anyway

[Wayne42]

SAINTS

Team is out.

B: Coffield, Wilkie, Connolly

HB: Sinclair, Webster, Hill

C: McKenzie, Dunstan, Ross

HF: Butler, Byrnes, Kent

F: King, Membrey, Sharman

FOLL: Marshall, Steele, Jones

I/C: Joyce, Highmore, Crouch, Higgins

EMG: Bytel, Allison, Lonie, Hunter

IN: Coffield, Sinclair, McKenzie, Joyce

OUT: Hunter, Long (both omitted), Clark, Howard, Billings (all injured)

[Wayne42]

Who will support Marshall in the ruck ?

Who will play on Buddy ?

[st.byron]

Kent....jaysus. WTF?

[B.M]

That side is horrible

[Waltzing St Kilda]

The first thing Hannebery told the Saints players when he arrived was the Swans regard us as a joke.

Well, we beat them last year but they'd be well and truly back to regarding us as a joke now.

And Kent retaining his spot must have them rolling in the aisles.

Sack Ratts.

[Wayne42]

Clearly Ratts doesn't rate Clavarino.

[WellardSaint]

Ratts said the players 'wellbeing numbers were high' which apparently showed they were flat.
WTAF another weird number from sporrs scientists.

Why don't they bring in Feng Shui experts from Asia to see if the Marvel goals should be moved around 90 degrees to where the wings are now.
To folliow the magnetic ley lines of Mother Earth.
In fact, moving the goals will work, cos they keep kicking sideways, so then it means they're goin down the guts haha

[WellardSaint]

Kent out before Long, surely?

[Vortex]

So no Clav, what can be read into that, is it a case of giving Joyce a go and then Clav comes in for a game or two.

Personally I don't think he's up to it, just seems to be a bit timid for a bug guy.

[roskilde]

1.40 on sportsbet looking pretty tasty for the Sydney win. Shouldn't bet against the Saints though it's bad mojo and means even if we win you can't enjoy it.

[Gershwin]

Brace yourself people, this could get ugly.

[MC Gusto]

Buddy might kick his 1000th…what’s he need?! 15?? Could do it!!

[WellardSaint]

Brace yourself people, this could get ugly.

I'll have to watch on the App, it's not on free to air, but will i turn it off at half time?

[The_Dud]

Buddy might kick his 1000th…what’s he need?! 15?? Could do it!!

Do you think the crowd will jump the fence if he does??

[cwrcyn]

Sydney have one injured player on their list, Naismith, who hasn't played all season. They have been at full strength for nearly the whole season. We will go into this game with 8 or 9 of or best 22 unavailable. If we get within 3 goals it will be a good effort. This is the weakest team we have fielded all year. If you switched places and we had all players available and Sydney had 9 players out, I think they wouldn't stand a chance against us. Take Rampe, McCartin, Hickey, Florent, Cunningham, Mills, Lloyd, and Hayward out of the Swans team, how do you think they would go? Not very well, I reckon.

[Vortex]

Sydney have one injured player on their list, Naismith, who hasn't played all season. They have been at full strength for nearly the whole season. We will go into this game with 8 or 9 of or best 22 unavailable. If we get within 3 goals it will be a good effort. This is the weakest team we have fielded all year. If you switched places and we had all players available and Sydney had 9 players out, I think they wouldn't stand a chance against us. Take Rampe, McCartin, Hickey, Florent, Cunningham, Mills, Lloyd, and Hayward out of the Swans team, how do you think they would go? Not very well, I reckon.

It's an excellent illustration of what came first, the chicken or the egg, is Sydneys unexpected rocketing into top four calculations due to their coach, list managment OR, and I would argue it is a massive, MASSIVE big OR...is it because they have been extremely lucky with injuuries and the sum of all parts.

[roskilde]

Sydney have one injured player on their list, Naismith, who hasn't played all season. They have been at full strength for nearly the whole season. We will go into this game with 8 or 9 of or best 22 unavailable. If we get within 3 goals it will be a good effort. This is the weakest team we have fielded all year. If you switched places and we had all players available and Sydney had 9 players out, I think they wouldn't stand a chance against us. Take Rampe, McCartin, Hickey, Florent, Cunningham, Mills, Lloyd, and Hayward out of the Swans team, how do you think they would go? Not very well, I reckon.

It's an excellent illustration of what came first, the chicken or the egg, is Sydneys unexpected rocketing into top four calculations due to their coach, list managment OR, and I would argue it is a massive, MASSIVE big OR...is it because they have been extremely lucky with injuuries and the sum of all parts.

Probably a mix of all three but in many ways clubs make their own luck. Instead of having hannebery on their list taking up a spot and a large chunk of their salary cap he's with us warming the pine and they have one less injured player. I guess you could call it luck for them but it's just better management whereas I guess you could say we've been unlucky this year but we've also been incompetent with our recruitment.

[Wayne42]

I hope the List manager and the recruiters have a good look at Saturday's Saints team and realise they might need alternative vocations.

The Bulldogs have used 41 of their 44 players during the season and they are on top.

A shite list is a shite list.

[cwrcyn]

Did Hunter Clark make his own luck when his jaw was broken? Did Billings and Marshall make their own luck when they developed plantar fasciitis? Did Paton and Geary make their own luck when they broke their legs? Did Gresham make his own luck when he tore his achilles tendon?

The argument that clubs make their own luck is just a cheap cliche that has no basis in reality. If the situation was in reverse (between us and Sydney at the moment) then that logic would mean that we created that luck, when the preceding history hadn't changed. Sometimes clubs get a rotten run of injuries and it was our turn this year.

[cwrcyn]

Our list is not shite. Admittedly it need some additions. The Bulldogs may have used 41 players, but they haven't had multiple key players missing for big chunks of the season. It's not just the injuries but who gets them and how important they are to your quality and structure.